For Us

Posts from April, 2011

Bowed Piano Ensemble Director Stephen Scott, nine Colorado College students, and soprano soloist Victoria Hansen will begin their third concert tour Down Under on Monday, May 16.

The ensemble, CC’s internationally recognized experimental music group, will perform in New Zealand and Australia during their two-week tour. Concerts will be held at the University of Auckland and the New Zealand School of Music in Wellington, followed by concerts in Australia at the prestigious Canberra International Music Festival, Campbelltown Arts Centre in Sydney, and Queensland Conservatorium in Brisbane.

A preview concert will be held at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 11 in Packard Hall, on the Colorado College campus.

The ensemble, which performs using fish line, ribbon, mallets, and brushes on the interior components of a grand piano, was founded by Scott in 1977. Hansen, principal voice instructor at Colorado College, often performs with the group.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the ensemble’s second Australia tour; their first trip there, in 1987, centered on a live national radio broadcast from the Sydney Opera House. The ensemble has released five recordings, appeared numerous times on network and cable television in the U.S., Europe, and Australia, and are frequently heard on live and recorded national radio broadcasts.

On the first and fifth anniversaries of the September 11 attacks, the group was featured on National Public Radio’s “Sonic Memorial Project” commemorating the people and neighborhoods of the World Trade Center, where they had performed shortly before the attacks.

A current student and two recent Colorado College graduates have received National Science Foundation graduate research fellowships.

Lauren Shoemaker ’11, a double major in mathematics and biology, will embark on a Ph.D. program in ecology at the University of Colorado in the fall. Shoemaker carried out her senior thesis research on the sustainable management of reef fish at the National Marine Fisheries Service, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Sarah Wolff ’10, a soccer player who graduated magna cum laude with a mathematics degree, is a first-year graduate student in math at Dartmouth College. At her senior thesis presentation, her teammates showed up with a big banner that read: “Prove That Theorem!” It now hangs proudly in the math department student lounge.

Jess Coyle ’08, who graduated magna cum laude with degrees in biology and mathematics, is a first-year graduate student in ecology at the University of North Carolina. She spent a year before graduate school teaching at a school for HIV orphans in Malawi.

“These NSF fellowships are very prestigious, so for three students from a small college to get them in one year is a really amazing accomplishment,” said David Brown, associate math professor. “It is a real testament to the talent of our students and to the educational opportunities available at Colorado College. It is a privilege to work with bright young scientists like these, and we couldn’t be prouder of them.

The Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center was designed to be interdisciplinary, but we’re not sure that edible was part of the plan.

But, if you want to have your building and eat it too, head to Nosh, 121 S. Tejon St., where pastry chef Alicia Prescott has created the Cornerstone Almond S’more, a graham cracker, marshmallow, and almond cake rendition of Colorado College’s state-of-the-art interdisciplinary arts center.

The six-inch, multi-layered dessert is available Thursday through Saturday evenings in April, designated as Colorado Architecture Month. Prescott teamed up with architect Christy Riggs for Delicious Designs, a program that celebrates architecture through dessert. The Colorado component of the American Institute of Architects pairs up several Colorado architects and chefs to create a limited-time offering of desserts inspired by architecture throughout the state.

The foundation of the dessert is a flourless almond cake cut into building block shapes and coated with milk chocolate. The glass is depicted with marshmallow, and the iconic prow and copper side walls are rendered with chocolate-covered graham crackers. Once the building is assembled, the marshmallow is torched for a glazed appearance. Caramel sauce and orange segments complete the presentation.

The Cornerstone Almond S’more feeds two to three and costs $12. The wait staff presents the dessert with an artist’s rendition of the building, to help orient diners.

Prescott says it takes several days to prepare the dessert for assembly, as her staff needs to make the almond cake and graham crackers, coat them with chocolate, and cut them into the proper sized pieces. However, once the ingredients are ready, assembling CC’s iconic building can be done in three to four minutes.

“It’s fun and challenging,” Prescott says. Last year she and Riggs also participated in the program with two entries: a dessert rendition of the Fine Arts Center served at Nosh, and the then-new Goodwill building served at The Blue Star.

Other architecture being represented via desserts throughout the state this month include the Brown Palace Hotel, Pepsi Center, Marble Garden at Aspen Meadows, and Denver’s Millennium Bridge.

Chloe Banning '14 on the podium at the USASA Nationals. Note the CC Tiger sticker on her snowboard.

Competitive snowboarder Chloe Banning ’14 recently completed an impressive season, securing a spot on the World Cup tour for the 2011-12 season. Banning, who finished 20th overall in World Cup boardercross standings, also was named the Nor-Am championship for the second consecutive year. The Nor-Am Cup is a snowboard series one level below World Cup competition.

Banning also had a third-place finish this season at the Junior World Championships (age 20 and under), held in Valmalenco, Italy. This season she competed in Canada, Italy, Switzerland, Utah, Oregon, California, and Colorado – with a CC Tiger sticker on her snowboard!

Banning, of Steamboat Springs, Colo., started snowboarding when she was 7 and began competing a year later. She plans to pursue a career in medicine, with a major in either biology or math.

Boardercross is a snowboard competition in which a group of snowboarders, usually four, start simultaneously atop an inclined course of various features, then race to reach the finish line first. Snowboard cross became an Olympic sport in 2006, and has been part of the Winter X Games since the annual event began in 1997.

Theresa Snyder ’11 presented a paper titled “Popular Media, Yellow Journalism, and the Penitentes of the Southwest” at the annual meeting of the Rocky Mountain-Great Plains Chapter of the American Academy of Religion. The conference took place on March 18 at the University of Denver. Snyder, from Crested Butte, Colo., and a double major in Southwest Studies and religion, based her conference paper on her senior thesis.

Three Colorado College students will present papers at the April 15-16 meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology-Southwest Chapter, which will be held at Colorado College. The three CC students are the only undergraduates to present at the conference.

Caitlin Bette-Waner ’11, a music major, will present a paper titled “The Apache Mountain God Dance: A Musical Analysis.” Her conference paper is based on her senior thesis. Stephan Gordon ’11 will discuss “Music, Trance, and Healing in Bali.” He is majoring in Liberal Arts and Sciences; his conference paper is based on his senior thesis. Andrew Salimbeni ’11 will present a paper titled “Regional Style in Balinese Gender Wayang Music: A Preliminary Study.” Salimbeni is a music major whose conference paper is based on an independent study project he undertook during the summer and fall of 2010.

The Regional Music Scholars Conference involves the Rocky Mountain/Southwest Chapters of the Society for Ethnomusicology, the American Musicological Society, and the Society for Music Theory. All presenting students have been working with Music Professor Victoria Levine on their senior theses and independent study projects.

Additionally, Tendai Muparutsa, who joined the music department in October as director of the African Music Ensemble, will present a performance workshop on Zimbabwean music on Saturday. Muparutsa, who was born and raised in Zimbabwe, is a doctoral candidate in ethnomusicology at the University of Alberta. A specialist in African musical cultures and the performance of Southern African traditional and pop music, Muparutsa’s dissertation focuses on the role of American women in the global revival of Zimbabwean traditional music.

The conference was organized by Richard Agee and Nilanjana Bhattacharjya of the music department.

Is all the activity going on at Van Briggle over the past couple of weeks an extreme makeover, a building demolition project, an archeological dig, or a new construction project?

The correct answer is all of the above. Thanks to the generous support from the Schlessman family, longtime Colorado College benefactors, the Van Briggle building exterior and surrounding landscape is receiving an extreme makeover, to be concluded by mid-June.

Much like the nearly completed Cutler Hall and Cossitt Hall improvements, both part of the Long Range Development Plan (LRDP), there is an improvement project at Van Briggle, 1125 Glen Ave., and the Transportation Shop across the street, 1144 Glen Ave. The project is intended to greatly improve the “gateway first impression” appearance for Colorado College and for the entry to historic Monument Valley Park for vehicle traffic traveling on Uintah Street.

The goal is to attractively screen the maintenance vehicle parking area on the north side of the Van Briggle building, and the fleet vehicle parking area across the street at the Transportation Shop. A Colorado College campus stone sign replica of the Cascade and Nevada parkway median signs will be installed at an angle along the Uintah Street east-bound traffic lanes, just before reaching the Uintah Bridge, to announce arrival at the college.

The Western Ridge residential buildings will be visible, directly over the top of the new sign. Also, the improvements will eliminate the street side parking on the west side of Van Briggle, and add attractive landscaping around the historic Van Briggle building and the Transportation Shop property to greatly improve aesthetics.

The local community and many other interested visitors to the historic building will have more access and interaction with the west side of the Van Briggle building to explore and photograph the unique architectural features. Hardly a day passes that curious and historically knowledgeable visitors do not stop to take photos and drop in through the front office for a look at the building interior to learn more about the Van Briggle pottery history. Many, too, are interested in the Historic Walking Tour Van Briggle National Register listing: http://www.coloradocollege.edu/welcome/walkingtour/vanbriggle.php )

Decorative brick screen walls, much like the existing brick screen wall on the west side of the Van Briggle building, will be constructed around the north side parking area, and at the north side of the Transportation Shop parking area. In both projects the brick screen walls will be set back significantly from the property line boundaries to allow for attractive landscaping, which will provide a softer park-like or garden-like appearance, and still provide an uninterrupted view toward the campus’ Western Ridge residences above Stewart Field as vehicular traffic approaches the college from I-25. The new landscaping will blend nicely with the attractive Horticultural Art Society garden on the south side of the Van Briggle building. The Van Briggle brick screen wall also will emphasize the northern view of the attractive upper Van Briggle building roof lines and showcase the building’s many unique architectural features, such as the decorative tiled dormers and chimney stacks. The utilitarian chain link fences and gates will be replaced with attractive traditional custom wrought iron fencing typical for the historic period, containing subtle architectural elements borrowed from the Van Briggle building and existing screen wall.

The archeological dig is a result of demolition of the old Monument (Storage) Shed on the north side of the Van Briggle building along the Monument Creek bank and the excavation for the new screen wall.

From 1908 through the 1950’s, Van Briggle Pottery used the backyard as a repository for kiln waste materials, used brick, and failed pottery and tile shards. Most of these bulky waste materials had to be removed and replaced with adequate soils for proper structural compaction for the new parking area surface and the new brick screen wall. The waste materials will be recycled as fill material in the deepest part of a large ditch on college- owned property located on West San Miguel Street just north of the Grounds Shop, which will provide a new storage lay-down yard replacing the lost Van Briggle storage yard. Many salvaged examples of 80 to 100 year-old glazed tile, terra cotta, and pottery shards will be useful for display and discussions for the annual Woman’s Educational Society historical scholarship fundraising tour of Van Briggle, held each September (and scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011).

Discarded monument markers with names and dates also were found under the Monument Shed floors. Much of the discarded materials were used to fill in the undermined shed on the creek bank where soils were eroded and washed away during the infamous 1935 flood. It is noted on Van Briggle Pottery financial statements from 1937 and 1938 that the Monument Department was a significant part of the business as Van Briggle was recovering from the flood and the depression.

Unknown to most people, the Van Briggle building’s three north side additions, done in years prior to college ownership, were constructed of exposed concrete block exterior walls. In 1968, after Colorado College purchased the Van Briggle Pottery, the building restoration and re-adaptation included removal of the two large brick kilns. The used kiln bricks were cleaned and installed on the exterior faces of the concrete block walls on the north side additions to improve the historic look of the building. The 1968 restoration did not address removal of the plywood faced flat roof overhangs on two of the three additions.

This project includes removal of the two remaining flat roof overhangs and construction of raised brick parapet walls to match the northeast addition, which was topped with a brick parapet wall capped with sandstone in 1968. Roger Renck, one of the retired owners of Renck & Roberts Masonry Company, which originally did the brick restoration work 42 years ago, is acting as the project masonry consultant. Renck was able to locate oversized recycled, historically accurate, matching bricks in a used brickyard in Denver for constructing the two parapet walls. The north side of the building roof line will have a uniform historic appearance as viewed over the top of the new brick screen walls.

The west side of the Van Briggle brick screen wall will feature a projected 30-foot-long wall section framed by two pilaster columns containing art work including limestone floral carvings, bas relief bronze plaques of Artus and Anne Van Briggle at work, and brightly colored glass tile mosaic artwork panels, all created by local artist and sculptor Larry Terrafranca. The artwork will depict and celebrate the Van Briggle Pottery story, adding another interesting feature for visitors to enjoy and to photograph. Terrafranca previously recreated the black ceramic cat, which was missing from the southeastern brick chimney for more than 30 years. He also helped recreate very significant architectural art features on the Cutler Hall, Palmer Hall, and Jackson House historic preservation projects.

The brick screen walls also will incorporate decorative Van Briggle art tiles arranged in six-tile panels on each of the 13 brick pilaster columns. These art tiles are being produced by the current Van Briggle Art Pottery Company at 1024 S. Tejon St. The art feature wall will be surrounded on the west side by the Schlessman Family Garden, which will be a landscaped paver patio area with two bench seating areas for relaxation and enjoyment of the art works and scenery.

Removal of two rental houses on two college-owned properties near Van Briggle made these improvements possible. The loss of parking area at the north side of the Transportation Shop was compensated by removal of the college-owned rental house immediately south of the shop, creating additional fleet vehicle parking area. Likewise, the loss of indoor and outdoor storage and parking areas on the north side of the Van Briggle building will be compensated by the combination of two college-owned rental properties and construction of a new storage building at 228/232 West San Miguel St., directly north of the Grounds Shop. One rental house will be removed and the Facilities Services Construction Shop will move into the other rental house, which will remain. The perimeter of the new storage yard will be visually attractive with new landscaping and screening treatments which will include raised earth berms, new wood fencing, and new tree plantings.

Two Colorado College students have been recognized by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship Program. Colby Sides was named a Goldwater Scholar and Eric Wigton received an honorable mention.

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship Program was created to encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences or engineering.

Sides, a junior, is majoring in biology and Spanish. He plans to earn a Ph.D. in tropical biology, then conduct research in tropical forest succession and teach at the university level. Wigton, also a junior, is a biochemistry major who plans to earn an M.D./Ph.D. or Ph.D. in biochemistry and conduct translational research on chemoprevention in cancer.

In awarding scholarships, the Foundation Board of Trustees considers the nominee’s field of study and career objectives and the extent to which that individual has the commitment and potential to make a significant contribution to the field. To be eligible for the scholarship, students must be going into their junior or senior year and must be nominated by their college or university.

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was authorized by the United States Congress in 1986 to honor Senator Barry M. Goldwater.

An author’s reception was held March 28 in the Tutt Library atrium to honor Colorado College faculty and staff who published books, articles, and other works since March 2009. The biennial event, co-sponsored by Tutt Library and the Dean’s Office for the past decade, honored a record-breaking 84 authors this year. Academic books and articles, works of fiction and poetry, entries in reference works, journal articles, music compositions, films, and other publications were on display.